by Matthew Davies

The Church of England General Synod voted on 13 July to approve the Anglican-Methodist Covenant and encourage the dioceses, deaneries and parishes of the Church of England to implement it in conjunction with their Methodist counterparts and in consultation with partner churches where appropriate. The Synod also authorised the setting up of a joint implementation commission.

The Covenant has been widely studied in both churches and it was clear that it had received overwhelming support in the dioceses.

The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe , the Rt Revd Geoffrey Rowell, indicated that "it is a significant and, in some ways, necessary and modest step towards full unity." He also spoke of both churches sharing a common heritage, asserting that John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism, were once "Eucharistic Christians in the Anglican Communion."

The Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Dr David Hope, said that the Diocese of York, on Saturday 24 May, "signed a covenant in a packed York Minster that endorsed precisely what is proposed in this Covenant." He declared that there is still considerable work to be done and that both churches will need to work hard together at the local level.

The Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations has welcomed the report saying that it "acknowledges the importance of this dialogue and finds it consistent with the Anglican Communion's ecumenical agreements."

A spokesperson on behalf of the Young Anglican Observers said, "We applaud the vision of unity encompassed in the Anglican-Methodist Covenant. However, it is at the local level that we see the real practical needs."

The Bishop of Peterborough, although supporting the motion, was keen to emphasise the need to "face each other's convictions with integrity and honesty." He added, "I do think the covenant is clear about points of difference. It describes our churches as places where people can find the means of salvation and grace.... It will create a new friendship and fellowship between our two churches and provide a framework for collaboration in mission in all areas of the Church's life."

The motion was carried with 336 voting for and 32 voting against. The abstentions weren't counted.

The discussion at the evening session on Embryo Research was one which offered some reflections on the science, theology and morality of using human embryos for therapeutic research purposes.

One of the main arguments focussed on how Christians regard the status of the embryo. Part of the report Embryo Research: some Christian Perspectives asks the question: "Does it [the embryo] have the same right to deserve the protection that is accorded to early human life on the basis of the traditional respect for the sanctity of human life?"

The Archbishop of Canterbury welcomed the report as a "model of clarification and compression" yet raised some concerns regarding areas that could be misleading. He was unconvinced by some of the language that is being used. "If we are to offer a Christian perspective we need to tread carefully in our theological language," he said.